


nothing quite like family

by lavenderlotion



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Disabled Character, Charles Xavier in a Wheelchair, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Found Family, M/M, Parent Charles Xavier, Parent Erik Lehnsherr, Post-X-Men: Days of Future Past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22130098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderlotion/pseuds/lavenderlotion
Summary: He cared for all his students, of course, but there was nothing quite like family.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr & Pietro Maximoff, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Pietro Maximoff & Charles Xavier
Comments: 24
Kudos: 341





	nothing quite like family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KuhakuE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuhakuE/gifts).



> For the prompt: _Cherik as parents (Erik or Charles or both)_

It was a quiet evening, which happened to be something of a rarity in the mansion. Over the last few years, there were several students who were in their teenage-years, and they tended to test the limits of curfew. It was a Sunday, and the students had a big week ahead approaching the end of the semester. Charles didn't believe in examinations, but the children did have large tasks to complete that covered a variety of topics taught over the semester. 

Charles figured that was what was keeping the children's usual antics at bay for the evening. He certainly wasn't complaining about a quiet night. Over the last decade and a half, ever since that dreadful afternoon under the Cuban sun, running a school had been something of a fantasy for Charles. It'd only really been in the last half-decade, since that horrible day where he had taken over Erik’s mind and watched Raven walk away, that his school had grown exponentially in comparatively little time. 

Now, finding a quiet evening was next to impossible. Charles smiled to himself as he rolled out of his office, moving easily to his suite. After half a decade of being back in his chair, Charles was quite adept at manoeuvring himself around. It only took a few short minutes before he was in his room, and he’d only spotted one child along the way who he’d kindly sent back to bed. 

Charles let out a relieved sigh as he moved into his room, ready to turn in for the night. Even though Charles had opted to teach a bit less this semester, there was a never-ending amount of paperwork that was always such a bore to slog through. His days were as long as ever even without the classwork. 

Just as Charles was rolling into his bedroom, intent on taking a rather long shower—or, perhaps even a bath since Erik and Hank had worked together to install a rather neat, moving chair that would place him into the tub when he was alone—when there was a quiet, quick rasp on his door. 

Forcing a smile, Charles tried his best to push past the disappointment of having his quiet evening ruined while he sent out his mind. He felt who it was while he was turning his chair, and his forced smile slipped into something much, much softer and far more genuine than it had been. He cared for all his students, of course, but there was nothing quite like family. 

Peter’s thoughts often raced far too quickly for Charles to ever catch up with. The boy was smart, truly, but he thought too quickly and so erratically that often times he had trouble expressing that intelligence. Charles knew that a few of his fellow classmates thought him nothing more than a class clown, but Charles was certain that he was much more than that. 

That was one of the reasons he sought to work with Peter privately. As much as Charles wished he could spend hours on end a day with every single student—well, it just wasn’t feasible any longer. Peter had challenges when it came to learning that many of the other children didn’t have. Additionally, he wanted to give Peter support that the young lad hadn’t ever had before. 

_ Please come in, Peter, _ Charles projected, wheeling to his lounge and transferring himself onto his couch.  _ Oh, and please grab a blanket, if you could. _

There was no reply—not that one was needed, seeing as mere seconds later the wool blanket that Alex had knitted for him a decade ago was settling over his lap. “Thank you, Peter,” Charles said, knowing the boy would hear it even in his sped-up state. 

“No problem, Prof,” the boy said, coming to a very sudden stop in front of him. A current of cool air followed him and Charles was glad for the blanket. “I brought you some tea,” Peter told him and pointed to the end table.

“Ah!” Charles exclaimed softly, smiling at the steaming teacup. “Thank you very much, Peter. That was very kind.”

The boy shrugged, but Charles knew he was pleased by the praise. He smiled and patted the cushion next to him, picking up the cup and blowing a bit before taking a sip. He hummed happily, sending Peter a wave of delight as the boy had made it perfectly. It took a moment before Peter sat down, seeming more hesitant than usual. 

“Is everything alright?” Charles asked, prepared to wait him out. For a boy who thought so quickly, it could take him some time to slow down enough to get out all the words he meant. 

“I finished it,” Peter told him slowly. The fingers of his left hand were vibrating at his side in what Charles knew to be a comfort for Peter. The boy was clearly nervous.

“You have?” Charles asked, trying his very best to keep his tone neutral. He had only assigned the paper two days ago, and it oftentimes took Peter much longer than that to finish his work as he thought about so much so quickly he often had trouble focusing on his assignments. 

“Uh...yeah?” he said, sounding incredibly uncertain. Charles put his tea down and reached over so he could lay a hand on the boy’s leg and give it a squeeze of reassurance. 

“That’s excellent, Peter,” Charles said firmly, giving him a warm smile. Peter nodded quickly, eyes stuck on the ripped portions of his jeans, hair flopping around his ears. 

After a few minutes, Peter took a deep breath and then asked, “Wanna read it?” 

“I would love to,” Charles told him with another smile, pulling his hand back into his own lap when Peter nodded. 

The air displaced where Peter was sitting, and within one blink and the next, the boy was sitting in the same spot with a pile of papers clutched to his chest. “Is that the paper?”

“Uhm...yes?” Peter said cautiously, clearly uncertain. Charles knew that the young lad wasn’t the best at reading people and he sometimes felt inept when it came to social interactions. 

“I was surprised as you only needed to write two pages,” Charles said softly, gently taking the paper from Peter’s hands so he could start looking through it. 

“Oh. I got inspired, I guess,” Peter muttered with his head down. 

Charles reached over and squeezed his shoulder and said, “That’s wonderful, Peter. Please, hand it over, I’m very excited to read it.”

Peter made some embarrassed-sounding muttering, but Charles paid him no mind as he straightened out the stack of papers. Peter sat there surprisingly still, drumming his fingers on his lap as he nodded his head to a song he was humming in his mind. Charles let the cadence of Peter’s thoughts be a welcomed background noise as he began reading the research paper he had assigned Peter only days. 

It was a wonderful piece of work. He couldn’t help but remember where Peter had been when he first came to the school, nearly four years ago now, and far he had grown. Peter hadn’t had very much schooling under his belt, but he’d done a wonderful job at catching up with others his age. Charles didn’t think he was behind at all, and the majority of work Charles assigned for him was of a college level.

Just as Charles was finishing the last page, the bedroom doors opened slowly and familiar footsteps echoed in the silence. Another soft smile curved up Charles’ lips, and he greeted Erik by brushing their minds together briefly so he could focus back on Peter’s assignment. Erik had left that morning to do some things in the town, and Charles always felt his absence. 

“Hey-o, Dad-neto,” Peter called out, and when Charles looked up Peter had zipped over to give Erik a hug. They were still embraced, and Charles felt his heart twinge at the sight of his husband and the boy he considered a son holding one another. 

“Hello, Pietro,” Erik murmured quietly, clasping the back of the boy’s neck as he pulled back. “I trust that you’ve been well-behaved?”

“Da-ad,” Peter whined, and Charles could  _ hear _ the eye roll from across the room. 

“He was wonderful,” Charles assured, knowing that he definitely would have pulled out of his office at some point during the day had that  _ not _ been the case. Erik walked over to him slowly, and Charles didn’t take his eyes off him. He was still every bit of the man he fell in love with, now aged wonderfully and more handsome than he had ever been. 

“Hello, my love,” Erik greeted him warmly, bending over to give him a long kiss that Charles hummed into and did his best to chase after when Erik eventually pulled away. 

“Ew, gross, parental PDA,” Peter grumbled, but Charles could tell that he didn’t mean his words at all. 

“Shut it,” Erik snapped playfully, removing his jacket and floating it over to the coat rack so he could sit next to Charles and pull him against his side with an arm over his shoulder. Charles cuddled into his side, sighing happily at being back in his husband’s arms after not seeing the man since breakfast that morning. “What are you reading?”

“Peter has written a wonderful research paper discussing the way environment can affect mutation,” Charles said, unable and unwilling to keep the pride out of his voice as he looked over to where Peter had returned to the couch. 

“Oh that’s excellent,” Erik exclaimed, leaning over to get a look at the papers in Charles’ hand as he asked Peter, “Would you mind if I took a look at this? I would love to read one of your assignments!”

“I—uh, okay?” Peter agreed hesitantly. Charles knew that the bond between Erik and Peter was still rocky at times, but the two of them were closer than they had ever been before. “You don’t, like, have to.”

“Nonsense, son,” Erik murmured, taking the papers out of Charles’ hand and already beginning to read as he distractedly said, “I’m incredibly proud of you, and I’d love to read anything you’ve worked on.”

_ As am I, _ Charles pressed into his mind, not wanting to overwhelm him.  _ Your paper was magnificent, Peter. Definitely an A. _

_ You can’t just give me good grades ‘cause you’re my dad, _ Peter projected back, and Charles forced himself to take a sip of his tea and  _ not _ tear up at Peter’s easy declaration of their relationship. 

With thoughts layered in love, he pressed back,  _ Never, my boy. You deserve the grades you’ve gotten, please don’t ever doubt yourself. _

Peter didn’t answer, but that was alright. Charles watched as he ever so slowly leaned against Erik’s side, who did nothing but ruffle his hair before turning to the next page of Peter’s report. Charles took another sip of his tea as he looked over at his family, his heart so, so very full of love. 

**Author's Note:**

> href="https://lavender-lotion.tumblr.com/">tumblr!  
> comments and kudos are much appreciated!


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